


The Door to Grimmauld Place

by stgulik



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: grangersnape100, Drabble, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2015-09-15
Packaged: 2018-04-20 21:51:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4803521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stgulik/pseuds/stgulik
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Teddy and I wrote one together, how about that? This drabble is canon-compliant and takes place shortly after <i>Goblet of Fire</i> and the events of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.</p>
    </blockquote>





	The Door to Grimmauld Place

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TeddyRadiator](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeddyRadiator/gifts).



> Teddy and I wrote one together, how about that? This drabble is canon-compliant and takes place shortly after _Goblet of Fire_ and the events of the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

-o0o-

Though no one had told Hermione who would meet her on the train platform in Devon, the last person she would have expected was Professor Snape.

“Good evening, Miss Granger. You are to accompany me to your new summer residence.” He seemed faintly bored, yet his eyes roved about the station, missing nothing.

She stared. “I-I am meant to stay in Ottery-St.-Catchpole on holiday, with—”

“Change of plans,” he replied curtly. “Where is your wand?”

“In my trunk, sir.”

“Unacceptable. Come along.”

She trailed after him, peppering him with a thousand questions she knew he pretended not to hear. 

-o0o-

He ushered her inside an empty storeroom. After warding the door, he pulled out a cigarette case and placed it on a shelf. “We have three minutes. Please find your wand and stow it in your sleeve.”

“Yes, Professor.” She bent and hurriedly fumbled in her trunk, embarrassed to think he might see some of her underthings.

“From this day forward,” he said sternly, “keep your wand within reach, every moment.”

“Why? What’s—?” she began, but the case began to glow. It was a Portkey. Heeding his warning, she slapped the case just as he did and they spun away ...

-o0o-

Hermione swayed and gripped her trunk, fighting nausea. Dry grass crunched beneath her feet. Terraced houses loomed darkly against the burnt-orange city sky. She cleared her throat and spoke precisely. “Professor, I trust you,” she lied, “but I wish you would explain the need for all this secrecy.”

Professor Snape smirked. “In the words of your erstwhile professor Moody, ‘Constant vigilance.’” His reply surprised her. They both knew who had spoken those words at Hogwarts, and it had not been ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody.

Without another word, he handed her a scrap of parchment. The words were in Dumbledore’s spiky handwriting. 

-o0o-

As the townhouse lumbered into view, Hermione experienced the same visceral thrill she always felt in the presence of powerful magic. “What is this place?” she breathed.

“The Order of the Phoenix. You will have heard of it already?”

“No, sir.”

“Never run across it in _The Daily Prophet_?”

“No, sir.”

“Hmm.” At his gesture, they crossed the street. “The Order was created during the war against the Dark Lord. After the Tri-Wizard Tournament, the headmaster felt it prudent to confer with former members. Friends of Potter are to stay here at Grimmauld Place for their own safety.” 

-o0o-

His long fingers curled around the brass door knob. At the sight, Hermione was forcefully reminded of that terrible night last May, when he had roughly wrenched back the sleeve of his robes, revealing his Dark Mark to the Minister, to everyone. 

“So there _are_ those who believe Harry is telling the truth,” she whispered.

He turned and looked, truly looked at her for what felt like the first time in her life. There was no hard, glittering malice in his dark eyes, no cruel twist to his lips. “If they don’t, they soon will,” he replied quietly. 

-o0o-

Suddenly, all the problems she had dealt with in her first four years at school seemed no more substantial than a flea bite. “Sir, I don’t know how …” she whispered, too frightened to think of an end to the sentence.

“Older, wiser wizards than you tell themselves that same thing, Miss Granger,” he said. “Those who refuse to believe are in for a rude awakening.”

She thought of all the slanderous remarks against Harry Potter in the daily news. “Ignorance is bliss,” she mused aloud, and to her surprise, he snorted laughter.  
“How can I help, then?” she asked. 

-o0o-

“You are to do nothing, Miss Granger,” he replied archly. “You will attend your fifth year, doing what you always do: making yourself a general nuisance, asking too many infernal questions, breaking the rules and getting away with it, and propping up your friends’ marks.”

Stung, she recoiled from him and turned for the door, but he caught her hand in his. He spoke in a low voice, his breath hot against her face. “And while you’re asking those questions, keep your eyes and ears open and find the answers. And trust no one.” He paused. “Myself least of all.”

-o0o-

A hundred fears chased through her mind, but Hermione pushed them all aside. She sensed this might be the most important lesson he would ever give, but it was the man, not the teacher, who taught it. “I _do_ trust you,” she said softly, surprising herself. This time, it was the truth. She felt something shift within her, as if she had taken some of the heavy load he carried onto her own bony shoulders.

The door opened. Noise and light burst upon them as the Weasleys thundered into the hall, embracing Hermione and all talking at once.

-o0o-  


Molly beamed. “Thank you for bringing her ‘round, Severus. Have a cup of tea with us, won’t you?”

He snorted. “In this madhouse? I’ll pass.” To Hermione’s ears, the insult sounded rote, automatic. He turned to leave.

“Thank you, Professor,” she blurted, suddenly shy. Something new had passed between them, something important, but it was gone before she could define it, leaving her oddly bereft. He nodded curtly and disappeared into the night.

 _Keep your eyes and ears open, and find the answers,_ he had said.

With all her heart, she wished she had known the right questions.


End file.
